Michael bates6/25/2023 ![]() "COVID took a lot from a lot of people, whether it’s their lives or their livelihoods or their way of life. After the game I’m like, ‘Come on, man.’ He’s climbing the thing and cutting down his part of the net. "Earnest (Johnson), my big man from last year, he’s at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, but right after the game they FaceTime with him and I’m like, ‘I got your net,’ " Bates said. "I’ve got his net and his medal and all of that stuff. After not being able to participate in the postseason last year due to a player testing positive for COVID-19, this year's run carries extra significance for Bates.Įvery step of the way, from the City League title game all the way to the regional championship, Bates has gotten medals and cut pieces of the net for the 2020-21 seniors, who couldn't make a run of their own. The Nubians are back in the state final four for the first time since 2018, when they were state runners-up. The varsity coach (Mike Thornton) left and went to Harvest Prep and I took over. "I was always in love with basketball, but I fell in love with coaching," Bates said. "It just stuck. I got in at Africentric as a middle school coach and then they went to varsity and I became the JV coach. Michael Bates on coaching: 'It’s more like a ministry than anything' He's been on the bench for every varsity basketball game in Africentric history. Now in his 16th season as the varsity coach at Africentric, Bates is The Dispatch's 2022 All-Metro coach of the year. That was in the mid-1990s, and Bates hasn't stopped coaching since. After graduation, he started teaching at Linmoor, then a middle school in Linden, and helping out with the basketball program. Bates grew up at his dad's practices, and though he didn't continue his playing career past high school, his love of basketball never waned.Īs a student at Cincinnati, Bates went to every game and would often take concepts he saw from the Bearcats home to his father's team on school breaks. His father, LeRoy, coached high school basketball and spent 16 years as the head coach at Toledo Libbey. For as long as he can remember, Michael Bates has been surrounded by basketball.
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